


Stray Love

by LlamaCow



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Hansol is a big nerd, M/M, Seungkwan finds a stray, Seungkwan gets a cat, Seungkwan is not a cat person...or is he, tiny bit of side SoonWoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29854482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LlamaCow/pseuds/LlamaCow
Summary: Boo Seungkwan is not a cat person. Far from it. But maybe the stray kitten he finds will make him change his mind. And maybe the weird guy that starts talking to him at the vet is also something he wouldn't mind taking home with him.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Stray Love

**Author's Note:**

> So...I've been watching a LOT of videos of people rescuing animals and unlikely animal friends, so a little while ago I got an idea about Seungkwan finding a stray kitten and bonding with it despite claiming he's totally not a cat person. The cat I had in mind was a ginger tomcat...and then those pictures of Vernon with his family's cat (also a ginger tomcat) happened the following day and I knew I HAD to write it

If someone were to ask him whether he was a dog or a cat person Boo Seungkwan would answer without fail that he was a dog person. He’d say that while he thought cats were cute he just liked dogs better. If he was being more honest he’d say that he didn’t get the appeal of cats at all. Let alone as a pet. They seemed self-involved and lacking the same level of companioness that dogs have. He had often thought about getting a dog of his own. One that he could spoil with cute little outfits, take walks with, play with. One that would bring some life into his empty house and greet him happily when getting home from a long day at work. The long work days, however, was one of the main reasons why he had decided that now was not the right time for him to be taking care of another living creature. 

He was struggling to retrieve his house keys from the bottom of his bag (while trying to keep his take-out dangling on his arm from falling over) when he heard a pathetic little meow coming from somewhere near the bush right of his door. He finally managed to open the door and he placed his bags in the doorway. Another high pitched cry. Seungkwan bent down and saw a small cat’s paw peeking out from under the bush leaves. He sighed. “What are you doing there? Go home. It’s getting late.” He was too tired for this. He went inside and closed the door behind him, not giving the cat another thought.

The next morning, as about half of the mornings, Seungkwan had snoozed his alarm one too many times and had to rush to get out the door on time. He threw his keys into his bag and swung it over his shoulder. He stopped when he heard the same meowing from last night again. He groaned. Once again he bent down to check. This time low enough to actually meet eyes with the little critter. “Dude. I don’t have time for this. I thought I told you to go home.” Now that he got a better look he could tell it was only a kitten, a bit rough around the edges and eyes big. “You do have a home, right? Or a mom?”

He only got a soft meow for an answer.

Seungkwan and the kitten alike were startled by the sound of Seungkwan’s phone going off suddenly. The kitten so much so that he made a run for it. Seungkwan sighed and groaned as he got back up. He really didn’t understand cats.

* * *

He was taking a short walk outside with one of his co-workers—like they often did during their lunchbreak to clear their heads— when he saw a cat fixing their wary eyes on them from atop a fence and the kitten under his bush crawled back into his mind. “Soonyoung? You have cats, right?”

“Well, technically speaking Wonwoo had two cats and the three of them were kind of a package deal,” his co-worker replied. “But, yeah. Crazy bastards.” He laughed loudly. Seungkwan didn’t get what was funny.

“Cats are pretty good at taking care of themselves, right? Catch food and stuff?”

Soonyoung hummed thinking about that. “If they have to. I guess. Not sure about cats that know nothing but the domestic life. I mean, just the other day Woozi was seriously freaking out about a piece of cooked spaghetti I had dropped on the floor. And Hoshi...well, he’s just a little crazy. Not sure if he’d survive all by himself. Why’d you ask anyway? Thinking of getting a pet?”

“If I was I wouldn’t be getting a cat.”

His colleague scoffed like he was offended.

“You _just_ said they’re crazy. But, anyway, no. It’s just that last night and this morning there was this little cat near my house and I’m not sure if it has an owner or a mom.”

“And you just left it there!? Just because you don’t like cats doesn’t mean that—”

“I never said I don’t like cats and I didn’t just leave it there. Last night I just thought it was a neighbor’s cat or something and this morning it ran away when I tried talking to it!”

“Well if it comes back you have to find out if it’s okay. Let me call Wonwoo. He knows more about this stuff.”

“You don’t have to— And you’re calling. Isn’t he at work?”

“What’s he gonna do? _Not_ answer a call from his one true lo— Hey, babe. Listen, can you tell Seungkwan everything you know about cats?” He held out his phone to Seungkwan who took it with a defeated sigh.

* * *

When he got home later that day he could hear the soft cries coming from the bush again. Wonwoo had adviced him to get some kitten kibble and to see how its overall condition seemed. Seungkwan still had no intention to start taking care of a cat, but he did feel bad for the little thing. The least he could do was make sure it wouldn’t starve to death or something.

“Am I the only person in this vicinity hearing that cat or am I just the only one with some human decency?” he mumbled to himself as he filled a small dish with some kibble and took it outside. He placed it on the ground and squated down. He waited, but apart from some rustling nothing seemed to happen. “Come on. I’m not going to hurt you. Just eat if you’re hungry.” He sighed and stood up to squat down a little further back. 

It didn’t take long for the kitten to pop its head out and start to gobble up the food that was offered. Now that it was out further Seungkwan could see it was a ginger cat. It looked like it was supposed to be rather fluffy, but the fur was dirty and matted in places. “Aren’t cats supposed to clean themselves?” 

The kitten looked up at the sound of his voice and let out a small meow. The food was already as good as gone.

“I guess you really were hungry, huh?” He stood up straight and that proved to be too much movement for the kitten who immediately disappeared into the leaves again. Seungkwan lowered his face and stared into a pair of wide eyes. “Okay, so I don’t think you have an owner and—” He was interrupted by a soft hiss. “Rude.” He sighed and groaned getting back on his feet. “Don’t go anywhere.”

He went back inside and looked around for a small cardboard box. He placed an old towel in it and put it out on its side in the space between the bush and his door. “So, eh, I’ll just leave this here. Wonwoo, that’s a friend of mine and also Soonyoung’s husband, Soonyoung is my co-worker by the way, anyway—” He stopped talking and pursed his lips. He was talking to a cat. “Just get in it by the time I get back from work tomorrow and I’ll get you checked out at the vet.” Still talking. He took a step inside but turned around again, looking down at the bush. “Don’t get too comfortable with the idea of living around here. You’ll have to go somewhere else. Good night.”

* * *

It was around two am when Seungkwan woke up to the sound of rain. He switched on the light on his nightstand and got out of bed. He shivered feeling the cool air when he cracked open his front door. His intention had been to only peek out to see if the cardboard box was holding up against the rain, but the moment he heard the soft cries piercing the night he ran out. The kitten had luckily crawled inside the box but it was far from dry. Gently Seungkwan picked up the box, tipping it so the kitten was sure to stay in, and hurried back inside. He settled down on the floor of his bathroom.

“Oh my gosh, you’re all wet.”

The kitten was now silently shivering in a corner of the box as Seungkwan grabbed another towel. He reached inside with it wrapped around his hands, but the kitten tried its hardest to avoid getting captured. On his end, Seungkwan tried his best to be gentle with the scared animal but he wasn’t used to the way cats behaved and had a hard time wrapping him in the towel. When he finally succeed he slowly sat down and cradled the bundle in his arms. He lowered it to settle in the hole formed by his crossed legs. As he started to dry the kitten it resumed its pitiful sounds.

“I know, I know,” Seungkwan said. “I didn’t know it was going to rain. Don’t get sick, okay?” He was relieved the kitten was starting to calm down a bit, but he had no way of telling if it was just getting more comfortable or if it was shutting down. Now that he had it up close it was easier to tell how thin its little body was. Seungkwan gingerly ran his fingertip over the top of the cat’s head. He didn’t trust cats to not randomly decide to bite or scratch him for no good reason, but he just wanted to let the cat know he meant no harm. More to calm himself down than anything else, he started to hum a slow song as he continued his cautious petting. And then something amazing happened. It was barely audible at first but a low purring started to reach his ears. It was a sound Seungkwan had never heard in person before, but he knew it was a sign that they were comfortable and felt safe. He watched as its small eyes started to fall shut and the both of them drifted to sleep.

The next morning it took Seungkwan a second to wake up enough to realize he had fallen asleep on the cold bathroom floor with his back against the tub. With a jolt he woke up completely and looked down to check if the kitten was still wrapped in the towel in his lap. It was and relief washed over Seungkwan when the little meows started again. “You must be hungry,” he said. With the utmost care he stood up with the bundle in his arms and clumsily opened the bathroom door. He settled the towel down on his kitchen counter. “Stay.”

Of course such commands fall on deaf ears when given to kittens and Seungkwan nearly had a heartattack when he turned back around with the bag of dry food in his hand and saw it had crawled out of the comforts of the towel and was dangerously close to the edge. He dropped the bag to the floor, causing the contents to spill all over the floor, and scooped the cat up in his hands. “You are a menace!” he scolded the cat with a frown on his face. He didn’t even notice the way the corner’s of his mouth twitched upward when the kitten got his little claws stuck on Seungkwan’s payamas and tried to yank itself free with its still developing motor skills.

“Now you’re going to have to wait here while I clean up the mess I made because of you.” He set the kitten down on the floor of his bathroom once again. He crossed his arms and sighed loudly when it started meowing agan. “Well, what do you want me to do? Your food is all over my kitchen floor and I have to call Soonyoung to ask if—” He gasped. He realized he had no idea what time it even was and he had work today. “I’ll be right back.”

He rushed to his bedroom to retrieve his phone (his alarm hadn’t even gone off yet), rushed back into the kitchen to get some cat food, and rushed back to the bathroom where he found the kitten exploring its surroundings. “I’m going to call Soon and ask if I can borrow one of their cat carriers to take you to a vet and then we’ll figure out what to do with you next. The faster you’re out of my bathroom the better.” 

Boo Seungkwan had never called in sick for work and had maybe taken two personal days in his five years at the ad agency he worked at, so it was no surprise that Soonyoung thought he was kidding when he told him he couldn’t come into work that morning because he was taking care of the stray cat he had found. In the end it had been Wonwoo who had come to his house with a carrier and helped him get the cat inside.

* * * 

Seungkwan entered the waiting room at the veterinary clinic and let the cheerful man behind the receptiondesk know he had an appointment under the name Boo. He was told to wait, so he settled down on one of the chairs and placed the carrier on his lap. The little cries of despair were constant at this point and Seungkwan felt helpless not knowing how to make it better. “Just wait for a bit okay? This isn’t a bad place,” he said with a hushed voice. “I’m sure we’re next.” He looked around the waiting room and there was only one other person there. 

For a moment Seungkwan forgot the cat on his lap because the man across from him was a bit much to take in all at once. He was wearing a brightly colored striped beanie, a pair of thick rimmed glasses in a metallic purple, a shirt with a cartoon taco on it along with the text _‘Wanna taco ‘bout it?’_ , and he had some kind of big lizard on his shoulder. 

He must have been staring a bit more obviously than he thought because their eyes met.The man smiled at him and it made Seungkwan painfully aware of how single he was. He quickly looked back down to the carrier containing his stray. From the corner of his eyes, however, he could tell the mystery man had gotten up and now sat down next to him.

“Who do we have here?” he asked and Seungkwan looked at him with confusion written all over his face.

“Excuse me?”

“Your cat? What’s their name.”

“Oh, eh...Cat,” he answered with nothing else coming to mind.

The other man was now the one looking confused. “Just cat?”

“Mr. Cat.” Seungkwan actually didn’t know if it was a he or a she, but something told him it was a he.

The man smiled and leaned his head down to get closer to the carrier containing newly named Mr.Cat. “Sounds like Mr. Cat is a bit nervous about coming to the vet.” He looked back up at Seungkwan. "What about you?"

"Me? I guess a little seeing as I don't know anything about cats at all. I just found this one under a bush next to my house and it looked like it needed help."

"I meant what's your name..."

Seungkwan pressed his lips together in a thin line as if the action would prevent his cheeks from turning red. "Seungkwan. My name is Seungkwan." He lifted the carrier to get into eye contact with Cat and avoid it with the man who still had his gaze on him.

"I'm Hansol."

"What about the lizard? What's his name?" Seungkwan pushed past his embarrassment.

“ _Her_ name is Ziyal and she’s a bearded dragon.”

“Ziyal? That’s an unusual name.”

“She’s named after a Star Trek character, actually. DS9.”

Seungkwan had no idea what this ‘ _DS9_ ’ was supposed to mean (and he started to suspect that this man was some sort of big sci-fi geek), but he wasn’t about to admit to it. “Oh, right. That’s very fitting.”

Hansol chuckled. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

“No, no. Star Trek. I totally know it. Spock and, eh, ‘Beam me up, Scotty.’ All that.”

“Did you know that Captain Kirk never actually says ‘Beam me up, Scotty.’? Also, none of those characters are from DS9. Although there is that one episode with the Tribbles.”

“T-tribbles?”

The kitten increased the volume of its meows and Seungkwan forgot about whatever tribbles were. "Just a little longer,” he directed at the cat. If he had been alone he might start humming again, but he figured it was a bit weird to do so now.

“Yeah, you can relax Mr. Cat. You’re in great hands. Jihoon loves cats.”

“Who’s Jihoon?” Seungkwan asked, hoping that Hansol hadn’t already forgotten his name (or, worse, was talking about himself in the third person).

“I am,” a voice spoke and Seungkwan looked up to see a young man dressed in a white coat standing next to the, now open, door to the examination room. “Boo?” he asked looking at Seungkwan and the carrier on his lap. “I’m ready for you now.”

"Oh, thank you,” Seungkwan said and immediately felt dumb for thanking the vet before even doing anything but call his name. He looked back at Hansol and thought he should say something but didn’t know what one was supposed to say to a guy with a reptile and questionable fashion sense who was also extremely handsome and friendly. “See you later,” he mumbled and he wanted to crawl inside the carrier to hide. Who the fuck says ‘ _see you later’_ at a time like this!? Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.

"My name is Lee Jihoon," the vet introduced himself further and closed the door behind them. He stood next to the examination table and gestured for Seungkwan to place the carrier on it. "So, let's have a look at little Boo, shall we?"

"Ehm, I'm Boo. Boo Seungkwan. This one doesn't really have a name. I think he's a stray. Also, I think he’s a he, but I’m not sure how to tell. He was outside by my house all alone. I brought him inside during the rain last night and he's had some kitten kibble yesterday and this morning."

Jihoon nodded and reached into the carrier to get a hold of the squirming feline. "We usually make appointments under the patient's name here. Anyway, it's good that you brought him in," he said as he started his examination. 

"Is it? A him I mean," Seungkwan asked.

“It’s not always easy to tell at this age, but,” he waited a moment while he felt around for something, “Yeah. He’s a he alright. It’ll become more apparent over the next few weeks and we do advice to get them neutered in time before they go out and create more strays.” 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose at the idea of this little baby going out in search of cat booty. He watched as the vet continued his examination. He didn’t like seeing Cat in distress, but luckily Jihoon seemed to know what he was doing and he soon calmed him down. Maybe he knew they were just trying to help him.

"He does have fleas which needs to be taken care of right away. Those little bastards can suck the life right out of a small guy like this one. He’s a bit lacking in the nutrition department and we’ll test him for other diseases, but overall he seems to be doing fairly well. He also needs to be vaccinated." He opened a drawer and got out a small machine that he held over Cat’s body. “Well, he doesn’t have a microchip and judging from the state that he’s in I doubt he has an owner. Not a good one at least. Which brings me to the next issue. You said you found him, but do you intend to keep him? We have good contacts with a local shelter if you can’t take him in. Kittens usually don’t have much trouble getting placed.”

Seungkwan looked down at Cat and pouted. “You don’t think he likes me?”

The vet crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. “This isn’t a matter of him liking you. What I’m talking about is if _you_ want _him_. I just want him to go to a good forever home. One where he can stay and is taken care of even if he messes up the couch or when he gets sick or something.”

Seungkwan watched little Cat strut around the examination table, clearly having forgotten his previous discomfort. He sniffed Jihoon’s finger and hobbled back over to Seungkwan. He jammed his head against his arm in a clumsy attempt to affectionately rub his little head against the warm skin.

Boo Seungkwan wasn’t a cat person or so he had always said. Even when he had brought him in here he had thought he’d be glad to find out how to get rid of him, but now that the choice was there he just couldn’t imagine this little guy going anywhere but to his house with him. “I can give him a good home. I don’t really know much about cats, but I’ll learn.”

As if Cat understood what Seungkwan said he laid himself down against his hand and started purring.

Jihoon nodded. “Alright. I’ll give you some information about basic cat care and don’t hesitate to call here if there seems to be a problem.” When he handed him the pamphlets he smiled. “You know, some people say that the cat chooses the owner and not the other way around.”

When he walked back out into the waiting room with Mr. Cat back in his carrier (a lot more quiet this time) Hansol was still there. 

He stood up, Ziyal comfortably on his arm, and approached Seungkwan at the reception desk. “How’s Mr. Cat?”

“Oh, eh, he’s fine. Mostly. I’ve been chosen apparently and now I have to buy everything a cat needs...”

“Do you need any help?”

“What?”

“I always had cats growing up. I know what they need.”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to put you out. I’ll just ask my friends’ cats. I-I mean my friends who have cats. I’m not going to actually ask their cats.”

“Well, if you change your mind,” —he held out a piece of paper—”here’s my number. Doesn’t have to be about cats. I could also show you some Star Trek some time.”

“Oh, eh…”

“Ziyal?” Jihoon said, calling his next patient.

“See you later,” Hansol said with a smile and walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> -yes, Soonyoung and Wonwoo are married and their two cats are named Hoshi and Woozi lol  
> -help me...will Mr. Cat get a different name in the future??  
> -I'm going to make Hansol such a Star Trek nerd, just watch me  
> -kudos to you if you know Ziyal
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/boo_dori) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/boo_dori)
> 
> (also wrote this because I needed to focus on something that is not my on-going fic rn...)


End file.
